Guides to the university

Assessment methods such as exams and other types of tests are designed to assess the students' required level of preparation in order to be awarded the credit points for the various educational activities. Assessments are marked out of thirty (for exams) or given a pass/fail grade and are always individual.

Assessment methods must guarantee authenticity of the student's output and third party check.

Exams, like lectures, are based on the topics described in the course program, available in 2 versions: the course profile and the course syllabus.

The course profile includes the main topics dealt with in the course and is divided into following sections: Course Mission and Course Content Summary, Intended Learning Outcomes, Teaching Methods, Assessment Methods, Teaching Materials and, where applicable, prerequisites. Students can access the course profiles on the Bocconi website (at page http://www.unibocconi.eu/courses). To help students choose courses on the basis of the course contents, the course profiles are published on the site well before the start of lectures. Substantial variations to the course profiles are not expected during the year, except for some changes to the textbooks that may be made as a consequence of new publications or updated material that were not available when the profile was finalized.

The purpose of the course syllabus together with the information published online is to explain in more detail the topics covered. For every learning session of the course, if possible the reference materials necessary for an in-depth consolidation of the concepts dealt with in the lessons and assessment methods are specified and tutors are available (see "Teaching Assistants"). The course syllabus is prepared by the Course Director in conjunction with the views of the Program Director. The syllabus is generally distributed during lectures and is generally also available online (Blackboard, in the course profile, in the yoU@B student Diary).

The assessment methods are indicated in a summarized form in the course profiles and are explained in further detail in the course syllabuses (in the Assessment Methods section). In addition, they are also explained by the faculty during lectures and generally available online.  
The assessment methods may be different for attending and non-attending students.

Furthermore, some exams can only be taken by attending students.
Students are considered "attending" if they meet the course attendance requirements established by the faculty member.

The assessment of knowledge can involve evaluation during the course (possible only for the attending students) or only a final evaluation (possible for non-attending students and also open to attending students).

In general terms, in-progress evaluation provides for more evaluation moments and many more methods, such as (depending on teaching and according to the proportions specified in the course profile) partial written exams, oral exams, evaluation of the student's active participation in class and individual and / or group assignments given by the faculty during lecture weeks (assignments that can only provide written output or even an oral presentation).
The final assessment, however, involves a single evaluation time in written and / or oral form; it must be designed so that the student's personal output can be discerned and it must be held publicly.

For courses with multi-class groups in the same Bachelor of Science Program, the exams are organized in the same way.

It is important to always check how exam marks are registered either with the faculty member or with the secretary's office of the Department  (whether or not it is necessary to sign up for other exams to complete the requirements, etc.) and to check the expiration date of the mark of those written exams that are followed by an oral exam.

The Course Director will decide on the availability of past exam papers, together with the correct answers. The Course Director may do this through the Blackboard platform.

The exam timetable is scheduled in periods that do not coincide with lectures. Each exam period consists of one or more sessions.

The exam timetable allocates 4 exam sessions for all courses; 2 of them are scheduled after the teaching semester, the third and fourth sessions are considered as supplementary sessions. For language courses 5 exam sessions are scheduled.

Lectures are suspended at mid-semester in both the first and second semester for 1st partial exams. 2nd partial exams are held at the end of the semester. Partial exam dates may or may not coincide with those fixed for general exams.

Students can generally take exams in all sessions as long as they meet the attendance requirements (semester course lectures in the study plan must be finished). For some types of exams and some courses, there may be some limitations to access the exams.

The exam periods and exam sessions (reference period: October 2025 - September 2026) are scheduled as follows.

(*) In the period 9-20 December 2025 an exam session open to all enrolled students is scheduled for 1/2 compulsory courses per program/year of studies. This replaces the January - first period - 2026 exam session which, as a consequence, will not be scheduled.

(**) For the compulsory courses, compulsory courses chosen by the students and curriculum compulsory courses, the second partial exam, if written, is scheduled in both sessions of the exam periods scheduled at the end of the teaching period. For elective courses, however, the second partial exam may be scheduled during both sessions of the exam periods scheduled at the end of the teaching period, only at the discretion of the course director. As a consequence, for the course typologies above, a second partial exam is scheduled:

• with reference to the first semester, in the period 21 January to 3 February 2026 as an alternative to the one scheduled in the period 8 to 20 January 2026 (or to the one scheduled for the period 9 - 20 December 2025 if it is a call open to all students);
• with reference to the second semester, in the period 3 to 23 June 2026 as an alternative to the one scheduled in the period 15 May to 30 May 2026.

There are rules and limitations to access the second partial exam. For all details, see paragraph 7.5. Exam Registration Procedure.

Notes on the exam calendar

• "session" refers to both exams of the current academic year and the previous years;
• the fourth exam session for 2nd semester courses will be held in January - second period - 2027;
• exam sessions for language courses are scheduled for: October 2025; January - second period, June, July and August/September 2026;
• with reference to the Bachelor in Global Law - students must follow the exam periods of the IMA in Law exam calendar for the following third-year courses: code 30635 Gender Law and women's rights, code 30646 Sports law, code 30697 Disciplina giuridica del bilancio, code 30698 Casi e questioni di diritto societario, code 30699 Operazioni straordinarie, code 30701 Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis, code 30702 Diritto Privato, code 30703 Diritto Tributario.
• A reserved exam session has been scheduled in December (9-20 December 2025), for 1st semester courses, open only to students who: 

1. are participating in: Exchange and Free Mover programs abroad in the 2nd semester 2025/2026 academic year;
2. are Incoming 1st semester (Exchange and single courses for visiting students);
3. are participating in curricular internships, including additional internships, abroad or in Italy in January/February 2026 period.              

Only those students whose teaching activities described in points 1 and 3 start before the December, January - second period ends (3 February 2026) can participate. With reference to this reserved exam session please note that students CANNOT sit exams for previous year's courses which have not been passed.

There is NO overlapping between compulsory course exam sessions of the same year, same semester and same 3-year program; therefore no 2 exams on the same day are usually scheduled, except for:

• December, January - second period (21 January - 3 February 2026) and August/September exam periods, as the available days for exams are limited;
• the following Bachelor in Global Law third-year courses:  code 30635 Gender Law and women's rights, code 30646 Sports law, code 30697 Disciplina giuridica del bilancio, code 30698 Casi e questioni di diritto societario, code 30699 Operazioni straordinarie, code 30701 Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis, code 30702 Diritto Privato, code 30703 Diritto Tributario because the exam dates are scheduled based on the IMA in Law program's organization.

Such overlapping rules refer ONLY to compulsory courses of the year in which the student is enrolled and do not refer to previous years' exams which have not been passed yet and/or to elective courses. 

The exam timetable for the October 2025 - September 2026 period is published by the end of July on the University website at www.unibocconi.eu/exams.

The timetable of an exam session may be changed during the year (only to a later date or time). In that case, students do not need to re-register for the exam, since their registration is automatically transferred to the new timetable.
Exam dates are updated daily on the website. In addition, any changes to the exam timetable can be viewed on the yoU@B student Diary. 
Please note that exam start times and the length of the exam (when available) should be considered purely indicative. Exam start and end times may vary depending on the type of exam, the presence of more than one group, possible postponements, etc. Students should therefore follow the instructions related to the day, time and classroom that are usually communicated on the afternoon of the business day before the date of the exam in yoU@B > Exams - Breakdown of the students in the classroom.
Exams are identified in the exam timetable by the following letters:

• IP Partial exam (*)
• S General written exam
• O General oral exam 

In addition, regarding the exam session held during 9-20 December 2025 reserved to specific categories of students:

• IS Partial exam
• SS General written exam
• OS General oral exam

(*) The abbreviation IP Partial exam refers to all partial exams included in the course, regardless of their placement in the exam timetable (e.g. generally, first partial exam held in mid-semester, second partial exam held at the end of the teaching semester).

Students can check the day, time and classroom assigned for their exam via the yoU@B student Diary generally in the afternoon of the working day prior to the exam date. The assigned time may differ from the exam start time published on the Exam Timetable due to organizational needs or exam groups.
If the exam is held in more than one classroom and in more slots, students are allocated following criteria set by the Department the course refers to and they receive a message relating to this via the yoU@B Diary (Exams > Breakdown of students in the classroom).
In any case, students must follow the instructions relating to day, time, room and mode of exam (oral exam, written exam on paper/written exam on student's personal PC) specified in the message.
The list of classrooms assigned for exams is also published on the website (following the same timelines explained above) at www.unibocconi.eu/rooms.

Registration for written, oral, partial exams and seminars is compulsory and it must be carried out through yoU@B student diary (desktop version) in 'Exam dates' > Registration exam sessions or via yoU@B PRO app in 'Calendar' by selecting the exam date, up to the fourth last working day before the exam itself, i.e. by the deadline listed in Registration exam sessions and posted in the Exams section of the Univeristy website. The following days and periods are classified as non-working days:

• Saturdays and Sundays;
• Holidays and periods when the University is closed, as indicated below:
  • for 2025: 1 November, 7, 8, 25 and 26 December;
  • for 2026 (up to the August/September exam period): 6 January, 6 and 25 April, 1 May, 2 June and 15 August.

Registration for the exam session and for partial exams can be allowed only if the student is not suspended (e.g. if the payment of tuition and fees and/or any penalty fees has not been recorded, for a disciplinary sanction, for any irregularities discovered by one of the University Services etc).

To register, after accessing to the yoU@B student Diary, students must use the function Exams > Registration Exam sessions: a list of the un-passed courses included in the study plan appears.
Via the function above students can register for only one of the two exams which follow the displaying date, for each code and type of exam.

By clicking on the appropriate icon beside the exam session, according to the deadlines for the exam registration, the following operations can be carried out:

• Exam registration
• Exam cancellation

The registration/cancellation operation is carried out only if the confirmation prompt is given by the system. If registration is completed correctly, the system will provide the reservation number. If confirmation is not given, registration/cancellation for the specific activity will NOT take place.

If registration is completed correctly, the system will provide the reservation number. After registering for the exams it is possible to print the receipt for every operation carried out via yoU@B Exams > Registration Exam sessions by clicking on the appropriate icon beside the selected session; however, immediately after registering, students must check if the registration/cancellation operation has been correctly carried out upon accessing the 'Exams' widget in yoU@B (desktop version) which includes the list of exam registrations carried out by the student.

If the system does not allow you to register for or cancel from an exam, it may be as a result of one of the following:

• the registration deadline has expired;
• the course is not included in the study plan;
• the exam has already been passed;
• the student is suspended for non-payment of university fees and tuition;
• the student does not have the right to sit the exam because the exam is scheduled before lectures finish (end of semester); this does not apply to partial exams.

With reference to the 2nd partial exam scheduled in the second exam session of the exam periods at the end of the teaching semesters for some course typologies, the system not allows you to register for or cancel from an exam if:
• the student is already registered for the 2nd partial exam in the first exam session;
• the student is already registered for the general exam in the first exam session (written or oral).

When registration to the session has closed, the above criteria will be checked again. If the criteria has not been met the student cannot sit the exam. Students who are suspended after registering for one or more exams and/or partial exams are sent a message on their yoU@B student Diary informing them that they cannot sit the exam. Students who clear their position before registration closes have the right to sit the exam. Once students clear their position they will receive a message via the above channels.
For further detailed information on rules for exam registration, please check paragraph 7.5.1 Notes for Exams Registration: Regulations and Requirements.

Students entitled to take advantage of compensatory/dispensatory measures during exams must request them when registering for an exam, selecting the measures they intend to use from the appropriate menu. More information on the measures provided is available in paragraph 7.5.2 Compensatory/dispensatory measures during exams: Initial request, types and deadlines.

In addition to the rules mentioned in paragraph 7.5 Exam and partial exam registration procedure, some important information regarding exam registration is available below:

1. Both a written exam and a partial exam or both an oral exam and a partial exam in the same day
   If the exam calendar includes both a written exam and a partial exam or both an oral exam and a partial one on the same day, students cannot register for both types of exams at the same time. Therefore students must choose which of the 2 types of exam they want to register for (written or partial exam; oral or partial exam).
2. Both a date for the written exam and a date for the oral exam in the exam timetable
   If the exam timetable shows both a date for the written exam and a date for the oral exam, students must register for both (even if they are on the same day). If students do not register for both, they cannot sit the exam. For language exams only one registration is required.
3. Registration in groups
   In some cases when registering for an exam students will be asked to make a specific choice from among a group of alternatives ("registration in groups"), for example "attending students". After selecting the type and date of the exam for which they want to register/cancel, a window will automatically appear giving students the possibility of selecting the group they want to register for.
4. Partial exams
   If the exam consists of different partial exams, students must sit for all of them in order to pass the exam. If students do not sit for one of the partial exams they must take the general exam. For further detailed information on exam assessment methods for each individual course, please check the course profiles published on the website at www.unibocconi.eu/courses.
5. Rules for sitting/registering for the second partial exams
   With reference to the second partial exam scheduled in both exam sessions of exam periods at the end of the teaching semesters, there are the following rules and exam access limitations:

• students can sit for the 2nd partial exam only once: students registered for the 2nd partial exam in the first exam session after the teaching period will not be allowed to register for the 2nd partial exam in the second exam session after the teaching period;
• students registered for the general exam in the first exam session after the teaching period will not be allowed to register for the 2nd partial exam in the second exam session after the teaching period.

Checks for accessing the 2nd partial exam in the second exam session after the teaching period will be made on the basis of the exam registration, regardless of whether the student attends the exam held in the first session after the teaching period.
For further detailed information on exam periods and the course typologies involved, please check paragraph 7.4.1 General and partial exams.

Initial request

At the start of the first academic year of enrollment, students with specific needs (students with learning disorders, disabilities, etc.) are required to upload their medical documentation/diagnosis in the 'Request for compensatory/dispensatory measures' widget available in the yoU@B student diary > To Do List.With particular reference to the documentation required in the case of learning disabilities, please note that:

• the diagnosis must contain the nosographic codes, the explicit wording of the diagnosed learning disorder and all the information needed to understand the individual characteristics of each student (as explained by the CNUDD 2024 Guidelines);
• the diagnosis does not expire only if issued after the age of 18. In the case of a diagnosis issued before the age of majority, the validity is equal to three years. Where necessary, the student will be required to renew the diagnosis and send the update to the appropriate office.

Each diagnosis is evaluated by the qualified team and any compensatory/dispensatory measures are assigned according to the needs of the individual student. However, a follow-up meeting may always be requested with the Academic Specific Needs office (B in Touch > EXAMS > Disabilities and Specific Needs) to discuss the measures assigned.

Types

The compensatory/dispensatory measures that Bocconi University authorizes include the following:

• 30% extra time
• Use of a PC
• Use of a calculator
• Concept maps
• Formularies
• Separate room (if possible)

Compensatory/dispensatory measures do NOT include:

• the possibility of taking exams with a different method compared to the one provided for each exam;
• the possibility of taking exams outside the official dates scheduled on the calendar.

Extra time

Regarding additional time, course directors can decide whether to allocate extra time or reduce the number of questions on the exam. For more details, students can contact the course’s Department via the yoU@B student agenda > B in Touch.

Separate room

Regarding the possibility of taking exams in a separate room, as a general rule, the University undertakes to allow exams to be held in a separate environment. However, for logistical and organizational reasons, this measure is not always guaranteed.

Concept maps and formularies

In order to have their own concept maps and/or formularies during exams, students are required to submit them to the course director for preliminary approval.

Concept maps are not outlines, but rather a tool that should contain the keywords useful for storing and retrieving information during an exam. In general, a maximum length of 4 pages in A4 format is suggested, written by hand or on a computer (with a minimum font size of 10).

Concept maps:

• are not a substitute for studying
• cannot contain answers to exam questions
• cannot contain course notes or copies of course slides
• cannot be lists of specific facts, details or concepts that students are tested on
• cannot contain instructions, specific examples or case studies

In general, if the student does not know the course content, concept maps will not be useful. Formularies must contain only the main formulas; proofs and theoretical sections cannot be included. Also for formularies, a maximum length of 4 pages in A4 format is suggested, written by hand or on a computer (with a minimum font size of 10).

For some courses, faculty members themselves provide standard formularies to students who are entitled to use them, so students are not required to prepare them. The Department of the course should be contacted for clarifications on this matter.

Students should talk to faculty at office hours during the semester to understand if the concept maps/formularies they prepare are suitable, without waiting until the end of classes.

Deadlines

In order to take advantage of the compensatory/dispensatory measures assigned to students for their academic careers, students are still required to indicate which measures they intend to use for each exam. This must be done at the time of registration for the exam (via Punto Blu for the desktop agenda, through the Calendar for the yoU@B Pro app).

In order to allow for the exam to be organized, registration for the exam must be received by the offices compulsorily no later than 14 days before the exam date (for exams in the August/September-January/February-June/July sessions) or 7 days before the exam date (for exams in the October-December-March-May sessions).

Regarding concept maps and formularies, they must be sent to the course director for approval in PDF format via B in Touch, by the deadlines indicated above.

Therefore, although students may register for exams up to 4 working days before the date of the exam, in order to take advantage of the selected compensatory measures, students must register for exams in compliance with the deadline of 14 (or 7) days.

 !! Failure to select measures during exam registration and failure to meet the above deadlines will result in the inability to take advantage of the measures.

Examining boards are appointed by the Rector or one of his/her delegates. They consist of at least 2 members, including a President, and are presided over by the Course Director. When necessary, exam commissions may be divided into sub-examining boards.

On the basis of a Proposal and Approval by the Head of the Department of reference of the subject, examining Board members can be:

• All members who have teaching commitments for the course in the academic year, excluding the Visiting Professors short-term and/or those only engaged in guest speaking or seminars;
• Teaching Assistants (with Graduate degree) assigned to the course;
• All those who were part of the Examining Board of the previous years even if they do not teach in the current year;
• Other Bocconi teaching staff (tenured staff and not tenured) who are experts in the subject;
• The Head of the Department of reference of the course.

Students will generally sit exams with the faculty member(s) of their assigned class group if they take the exam in the first exam period after the end of the course. In subsequent exam sessions, exams may also be organized for various class groups, in which case, students sit exams with a faculty member or faculty members of one of the class groups, or with an expert in the subject. The class groups may not be the same that were assigned to the students.

Exams are held in person on Campus.

ONLY students who have duly registered for exams can be admitted to sit for them.
Students must come to exams equipped with their personalized Bocconi ID card in order to be identified by the Faculty member.

The exam attendance is usually certified by the faculty member using the related online procedure.
For written exams on paper, students also certify their presence by signing the exam paper (this is not an acceptance of the grade). For written exam on paper, students must write only with an indelible ink pen in blue or in black color.

Students may decide to withdraw from an exam, in which case their papers are not considered valid and the exam result is not registered:

• For written exams on laptop and on paper: students can withdraw any time during the exam but no later than 10 minutes before the end of the exam; they must declare their decision to the faculty member and in any case, follow the instructions given in the classroom. Moreover, for written exams on paper, students are deemed to have withdrawn if they hand in their exam papers with "withdrawn" written on them. Usually, in case of written exams - on laptop and paper-, students who withdraw must stay in the room up to the end of the exam.
• In case of oral exams, students may only withdraw before the teacher declares the mark. Withdrawing from an exam is equivalent to not taking the exam.

Handing in written exam papers (whether they are partial or general exams), without declaring the withdrawal to the faculty member or making a note of it on a paper written exam in due time, means accepting the mark the teacher gives the paper, no matter what it is.

During exams, students must comply with the instructions and guidelines specified by the instructor in class and the rules set out in the Bocconi Student Code of Conduct (see paragraph 7.7.2 Exam Conduct); it is also specified that the use of AI is prohibited during both partial and general exams.

Exams are official assessments which must be taken in full compliance with the rules.

During an examination students may not:
 

• offer or receive any assistance from students or any other party, nor can they use notes unless authorized by the teacher;
• attempt to obtain confidential information about the specific questions of the exam;
• assume the identity of another nor allow others to assume their identity during an exam; nor can students present as their own a piece of work which has been entirely or partially copied;
• keep mobile devices (e.g. tablet, smartphones, mobile phones, smartwatches, earbuds, MP3 players, etc.) on their desks or on their person which must be properly stowed in bags or backpacks (unauthorized possession of such devices during exams, regardless of their actual use, is prohibited),
• use any aid or device of any form or type (paper: e.g. manuals, lecture notes, personal notes, books etc. or electronic: electronic devices, web sites, social media, softwares, AI tools etc.) that is not expressly authorized by the instructor.

Violation of the above rules and of what is indicated in the Students Code of Conduct or instructions given by the faculty member during exams is cause for cancellation of the exam, and the start of disciplinary procedures.
The disciplinary sanctions applied at this University include:

• official warning;
• temporary ban from one or more courses;
• suspension from one or more exams for one or more exam periods;
• temporary exclusion from the University and loss of exam periods (not more than three years). 

All disciplinary sanctions are registered in the student's academic career, written in the transfer form, and in all university documents used in determining the student's graduation grade. A disciplinary sanction more serious than a warning precludes any student benefits (scholarships, housing, etc.).

These rules do not substitute the university in the monitoring of the exams. The university will maintain strict exam procedures. The university moreover will do its best to ensure that the exams are taken in adequate rooms, with enough space and silence to allow students to concentrate. Faculty members are required to set clear questions and to mark exams following clear rules, allowing students to show their ability and degree of understanding of the subject area.

Finally, students are strongly recommended to carefully read the content of the Honor Code published on the website www.unibocconi.eu/honorcode and, in particular, in the Code of Conduct for Students where they can find a description of the unfair behaviours and the relating sanctions.

A mark of between 0 and 17 out of thirty is considered unsatisfactory.
A mark of between 18 and 30 out of thirty is considered satisfactory.
The examining board may award "lode" (cum laude) to students who are awarded thirty out of thirty (30/30).
Exams that are awarded a satisfactory mark are considered to have been passed and cannot be retaken (whether they are partial exams or general exams).
Exams that are awarded an unsatisfactory mark are considered to have been failed and must therefore be taken again.

The results of written exams (partial, in itinere or general exams), managed by the Secretary's Office of the Department responsible for the courses, are generally published on the yoU@B student Diary > Home page > Exams. Marks are communicated in yoU@B for informational purposes only.

Subsequently, students are advised to check that the grade obtained on the general exam or the grade obtained after completing the partial exams has been correctly recorded in their academic career by using the Career > Study plan menu at Punto Blu (via the yoU@B Diary). The grade for individual partial exams and in itinere exams will not be recorded in the academic career.

In compliance with the Honor Code, the Bocconi teaching staff are committed to carrying out the assessment fairly and to be available to analyze the quality of the exam taken with the student. In this context, in the case of written exams, the University requires that a session be scheduled by the faculty member, usually on a single date, dedicated to reviewing the exams subject to evaluation for students who have taken the exam.

During exam review, the faculty member and student are not allowed to negotiate the assigned grade in any way. At this stage, students are expected to behave in a serious and respectful manner, consistent with the exam review's purpose of representing a learning opportunity. Students may not delegate third parties to review exams in any way.

The final results of exams are recorded with a mark out of thirty or as passed (for educational activities such as seminars, internships, etc.) and are registered in the student's academic career. For activities that do not award credits (credits = 0) such as preparatory courses, no grade or pass assessment will be recorded in the academic career.
Exams for courses subdivided in modules are considered passed, and may be recorded in the academic career and certified, only after passing both exams of which the course is made up. The final grade is obtained by the grade point average (compared to the credit points of each module) of the two marks achieved.

The appropriate offices periodically check the grades recorded in the academic career of all students.

Each student's "Official academic transcript" available only through the cert@B procedure available on the yoU@B Diary > Certifications, contains all the exams included in the study plan, together with the date when the exam was passed, marks and credit points awarded, subject groups and medium of instruction for the exams that have been recorded.

The "unofficial academic transcript", which can be printed accessing the yoU@B Diary > Certificates > Printable documents, contains all exams including those that have been passed, i.e. the exams for which students have been awarded a sufficient mark.

The positive mark of the exams of each module (if included in the program structure) can be viewed. This document (NOT valid as certification) is valid only within the University (e.g. Bocconi Scholarship ranking, exchanges, etc.).

For the first and second language courses, as an alternative to internal Bocconi exams, recognition of a language certification among those accepted can be requested, in compliance with the rules applied. For more detailed information, see 'Languages and Computer Skills'.

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by the mathematical average weighted on the credit point values of all courses with marks expressed out of thirty recorded in the student's academic career. Activities in which only credits are awarded (e.g. internships, seminars, etc.) are not included in the calculation of the GPA.
A 30 "cum laude" is awarded the value of 31.
A maximum of 2 additional exams can be included in the calculation of the GPA. If a student has passed more than 2 additional exams, the 2 best results are considered (those for which students received the highest marks; if grades achieved are the same, the ones with the highest number of credit points are considered).
Exams ratified for students transferring from other Italian universities are assigned the mark awarded by the university where the exam was originally taken.
Exams ratified for students transferring from universities abroad are assigned the mark awarded by the university where the exam was originally taken. If the original marks are expressed in different numerical scales or in letters, they are converted to marks out of thirty on the basis of the specific conversion table.
Exams taken at other universities that have an agreement with Bocconi University are assigned the mark awarded by the university where the exam was originally taken. If the original marks are expressed in different numerical scales or in letters, they are converted to marks out of thirty on the basis of conversion tables.

Exam sequence indicates the sequence that must be followed in terms of time and prerequisites in preparing exams, requiring students to pass some exams before sitting for others.

Students can sit for prerequisite exams in the same period ("session"). At the end of every exam period checks will be carried out to ensure that the regulations have been adhered to. Any exams taken in breach of the sequence will be annulled.
There are prerequisites for the 2025-2026 academic year:

• for BIG students: the exam code 30320 ‘Quantitative methods for social sciences - module 2 (Statistics)’ is a prerequisite of the exam code 30337 Policy evaluation;
• for BIEM students (students initially enrolled from the 2015-2016 academic year): the exam code 30001 Statistics is a prerequisite of the exam code 30280 Applications for Management;
• for BIEF students (students initially enrolled starting the 2015-2016 academic year): the exam code 30001 Statistics is a prerequisite of the exams codes 30284/30285 Empirical methods for economics/finance (depending on the major chosen).
  
  Then,
• only for students initially enrolled up to the 2013/-2014 academic year: for the first language: the first-year exam is a prerequisite of the second-year exam.

In addition, please note that in order to take the exam for Computer Science students must have already passed the complete ECDL (see "Languages Computer skills").

In any case, for courses where there is no pre-ordered sequence in sitting the exams of programs, students are advised to sit exams following the teaching activities sequence in terms of year of studies and semester.
Furthermore, in order to continue studies in the second year, students must have acquired a minimum of 24 credits in the first year of studies by the July exam period (see "Continuing studies").

Students enrolled in 3-y degree programs can obtain credit recognition (grade and credit points) for exams passed abroad in the Exchange and Double Degree Programs, which are promoted and coordinated by the Study Abroad and Global Alliance offices, along with the Free-Mover Semester and Free-Mover Summer Programs.

Specifically:

• students can have a maximum of 5 exams recognized for the Exchange or Free-Mover Semester programs and not more than 1 exam for the Free-Mover Summer;
• students may apply for recognition of exams passed abroad only once, after the mobility period is over and only if in possession of the Official Transcript of Records whose digital version is accepted;
• students must convert a minimum of 1 exam in order for the Exchange Program or the Free Mover experience (Semester or Summer) to be recognized in the student’s academic career;
• students cannot sit for ‘in proctoring’ exams at Bocconi relating to courses attended abroad;

the following exams, if taken abroad, cannot be recognized:

• banned courses: see List of compulsory courses which cannot be recognized;
• exams for computer skills (computer test);
• language exams* taken as part of the Free Mover Summer experience;
• compulsory courses specific to other Bachelor of Science programs;
• exams passed with a grade that is not included in the scale on the conversion table used by the foreign university. In the case of Pass/Fail grades, when the grade is Pass, it may be converted into the minimum grade on the Bocconi scale.

*Please note: Starting in the 2019-2020 academic year, language exams taken abroad as part of the Exchange Program and Free Mover Semester can also be converted: credits for language exams are part of the maximum limit of 5 courses that can be recognized. Please note that languages indicated in the Transcript with the number of foreign credit points equal to "0" will not be recognized. The minimum exit level required by the student's program structure will be automatically assigned to the language course recognized in the academic career.

Credit recognition for exams taken as part of Exchange, Free Mover Semester and Free Mover Summer Programs is not usually automatic and depends on the following credit approval procedure.

After being selected (Exchange Program) or authorized by the Study Abroad office (Free Mover Semester), before departure and after assessing the offer of the host university, students must check or request authorization from Bocconi faculty in advance to have the courses they wish to take abroad recognized in their academic career.

The courses can be:

• with Bocconi correspondence, if the course taken abroad has a corresponding Bocconi course*;
• without Bocconi correspondence, if the course taken abroad does not have a corresponding Bocconi course.

*Students participating in a mobility program as a Free Mover Summer student can have 1 exam recognized with Bocconi correspondence only.

The advance authorization request, together with the foreign course profile and all information relevant to its evaluation, must be sent:

• to the Course Director of the corresponding Bocconi course in the case of converting with correspondence; for BGL, BEMACS and BAI to the Program Director;
• when the foreign course is without Bocconi correspondence, the authorization request will be sent to the Program Director or a delegate.

The advance authorization request must be sent through the appropriate procedure available on the yoU@B Diary ‘Recognition’ - International Mobility section.

Two or more exams can be merged to cover one Bocconi exam upon approval of the Course Director or the Program Director. One foreign exam cannot be used to cover two or more Bocconi exams.

The request for recognition of a foreign course with a Bocconi course (with or without any Bocconi correspondence) DOES not allow any advance change/structure of the study plan, which must be made in accordance with the rules and timelines specified in Paragraph 9.3.4 'Administrative rules, procedures and deadlines'.

After the period of mobility, the University abroad issues the certifications of the exams taken. On the basis of these certifications and upon the student’s request, the Study Abroad office carries out the appropriate checks to prepare the grade recording of exams taken abroad that students wish to have recognized.

For more details, see the website www.ir.unibocconi.eu/exchange, Academic Recognition paragraph of the relevant section.

Exams passed at other universities by Bocconi students are assigned the grades of the university of origin. If the grade is expressed in other scales (letters or numbers), the grade is converted out of thirty on the basis of special tables of correspondence.

In case two or more foreign exams covering one Bocconi exam, the final grade is obtained by the grade point average of the corresponding Bocconi grades obtained, using the foreign credit points specified on the Transcript issued by the host university as the weighted coefficient.

Students can also recognize a maximum of 3 additional exams that will be included in the total calculation of 5 exams that can be converted (see 'Additional Activities' section).

Please note: the program structure for 3-y degree programs taught in Italian include at least one course in English (compulsory or elective): this requirement is not applied if the student participates in the Exchange or Free Mover Program at a University where the language requested by Bocconi University with the purpose of selection/acceptance is not English.

Credit recognition for exams taken as part of the Double Degree Program with Peking University requires several steps the student must take before and after departure, following the guidelines of the Global Alliances office.
After admission to the Double Degree during the second year of the BIEM program, students will receive instructions from Peking University on the program structure they will need to attend abroad during the two following academic years. With the courses taken at the partner school during the third and fourth year of the program, students can validate the courses from the third year of BIEM, upon approval from the Program Director (or a delegate). The recognition procedure for courses taken abroad is subject to the Global Alliances office receiving the transcript from Peking University.

For more information, please email: doubledegree@unibocconi.it.

Credit recognition for exams taken as part of the HEC-Bocconi Double Program requires several steps the student must take before and after departure, following the guidelines of the Global Alliances office.

BEFORE DEPARTURE
After being admitted to the program, students will receive instructions from the host university on the program structure they will need to attend abroad. As soon as the program structure has been defined at the host school, students must send a request to the Bachelor Program Director (or a delegate) for prior authorization for credit recognition for courses taken abroad. This must be completed through the appropriate “Recognition” procedure in the yoU@B student diary, accompanied by detailed information on the course content and credits. The courses identified will be converted with correspondence with the corresponding courses offered by Bocconi, or without correspondence in the case of electives or additional exams.

AFTER THE STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE

The activation of the recognition procedure is subject to uploading the Transcript from the foreign university certifying the exams taken abroad to the appropriate “Recognition” procedure in the yoU@B student diary.

The procedure will end with the foreign courses approved by the Program Director or a delegate being recorded in the Bocconi academic career. There is no need to register for an exam session.

Exams passed at other universities by Bocconi students are assigned the grades of the university of origin. If the grade is expressed in other scales (letters or numbers), the grade is converted out of thirty on the basis of special tables of correspondence that can be consulted in the yoU@B student diary.

Two or more exams taken abroad can be merged to cover one Bocconi exam upon approval of the Program Director (or a delegate). In this case, the final grade derives from the weighted average of the corresponding Bocconi grades obtained, using the foreign credits reported in the Transcript issued by the host university as weighting coefficients. However, one foreign exam cannot be used to cover two or more Bocconi exams.

Students can also recognize additional exams in their study plan; see the 'Additional Activities' section for more information.

If the courses recognized at Bocconi are different from those included in the study plan or are without correspondence, students must request a change to their study plan through the appropriate procedure available in the yoU@B Student Diary.

The second language exam passed abroad, as per the study plan for the Data, Society and Organisations track, can be converted in the Bocconi study plan along with the other foreign courses and following the same procedure described above. Please note that languages indicated in the Transcript with the number of foreign credit points equal to "0" will not be recognized. The minimum exit level required by the student's program structure will be automatically assigned to the language course recognized in the academic career.

Other changes cannot be made after the recognition procedure has been completed.

For more information, contact the appropriate office through B in Touch > Double Degrees.

 

Students who intend to graduate in the July 2026 session because they have documented admission to a graduate level program requiring graduation by September 2026 as an explicit admission requirement will be given the opportunity to take first semester exams (including exams from previous years of study) during the period 24/06/2026 to 11/07/2026 and have them recognized for admission to the July 2026 graduation session.

To take advantage of this opportunity, students who meet the above conditions must:

1. send a specific request through B in Touch > Graduation > Graduation Sessions and Deadlines, accompanied by documentation certifying admission to a graduate level program for which graduation is required by September 2026. The request must be sent by 12 June 2026 only after being registered for the July Graduation Session;
2. complete the steps of the Graduation Application procedure, complying with all related deadlines for the July 2026 graduation session (entering the title, reserving the graduation session, uploading the definitive file of the final paper and requesting approval).

!Please note that for students taking part in an international program (Exchange or FreeMover) in the second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year, who have documented admission to a graduate level program requiring graduation by September 2026 as an explicit admission requirement, the deadline for uploading the transcript of grades from the university abroad may be extended as an exception to 11 July 2026, when necessary.